Kitchen cupboards - backs coming loose

mamamoi

We have a fairly damp kitchen (trying to rectify that now with a dehumidifier) and several of the backs of our kitchen cupboards have come away from the cupboard and therefore exposing the brick wall behind. This tends to make things dusty and dirty, not to mention the creepy crawlies that live back there, so I end up washing everything again before using it. It is only the lower units, all of the higher units are fine. The kitchen was completely refit 6 years ago, so it's not very old.

We only rent so I want to do this as cheap and as simple as possible.... I thought about getting some clear plastic sheeting and sticking that to the back of the cupboards to seal up the gaps, could that help? or does anyone have any better suggestions? DH is not a great DIY'er so the simpler the better!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions

pimento

What does your landlord say? I'd show him/her in case they try to take money from your deposit for you causing the damage when you leave.

mamamoi

pimento wrote: »

What does your landlord say? I'd show him/her in case they try to take money from your deposit for you causing the damage when you leave.

The landlords are family friends and we pay really low rent so I don't want to hassle them... never paid a deposit so that won't be a problem. It's not through damage by us, we believe it's down to it being an old damp terraced house, and the house next door has been empty for a long time and is party converted.... theres no windows or proper roof on the extension, so I think a lot of damp is getting in through there maybe?

ormus

if you need new backs, hardboard is really cheap.
simple to cut and to pin into place. if the area is damp, a coat of sealer/varnish/paint maybe a good idea.

Plasterer

ormus wrote: »

if you need new backs, hardboard is really cheap.
simple to cut and to pin into place. if the area is damp, a coat of sealer/varnish/paint maybe a good idea.

Yep, dirt cheap 1 sheet of 3 mm hardboard less than £5 + small tin of paint + 12 cans guiness :beer: £30 all in

widgery

mamamoi wrote: »

The landlords are family friends and we pay really low rent so I don't want to hassle them... never paid a deposit so that won't be a problem. It's not through damage by us, we believe it's down to it being an old damp terraced house, and the house next door has been empty for a long time and is party converted.... theres no windows or proper roof on the extension, so I think a lot of damp is getting in through there maybe?

Even if you fix it yourself, let your landlord know anyway so they know for the future. And let them know about your feelings on the source of the damp. Not in a confrontational 'get it fixed' way, but in a 'just so you know' way. Better safe than sorry.

ormus

Plasterer wrote: »

Yep, dirt cheap 1 sheet of 3 mm hardboard less than £5 + small tin of paint + 12 cans guiness :beer: £30 all in

i like your style.
do u wanna a new apprentice?

mamamoi

Plasterer wrote: »

Yep, dirt cheap 1 sheet of 3 mm hardboard less than £5 + small tin of paint + 12 cans guiness :beer: £30 all in

Pity your down South or you'd be hired!!!

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

How do we pin the hardboard on? Is there a way to do it without taking the worktops off?

ormus

two ways to do it.
the correct way is to remove the units from the wall and replace the backs.
other way is to put small battens either side of the back edge, and pin the backs onto those, from inside the units.